Caelum
by aya-kun
Summary: There are things that happen, things we have no control over. Events that we call destiny or fate. Under a blue sky, it is there where we met...just like those many years ago.
1. This is only the beginning

**P**rologue **E**ncounter 

**T**he sun shone peeking free of its curtain of white. The morning wind was blowing against an old cherry blossom tree that rose high above the ground. Petals were silently streaming downward, twirling. The early morning dews were slowly dripping.

Atop this ancient wonder, on a branch that shot forward towards a small balcony belonging to the beautiful English two-story manor, a lone cherry blossom swayed with the wind until it came off and glided towards an open window, its top in a high arch. The blossom went past the window's rippling white silk curtains lined in pink entering a room filled with antiques that were admirably carved and were arranged gloriously against purple-blue walls.

The blossom continued its journey towards a large and wide, handsomely carved four poster bed clothed in various shades of blue. The top of the bed was short of a few feet to touch the ceiling. The flower landed on long fingers and slid down the palm of a hand that was resting on white pink-laced pillows.

The 21-year-old woman opened amethyst eyes at the feeling of something that tickled her fingers. She smiled seeing the blossom. Sitting up slowly, cherry blossom in hand, she pulled her cobalt bedding away and stood. Her long raven hair falling in waves by her thighs. The simple, single-strap cream silk nightgown, which ended at her ankles, was clearly seen behind her robe of translucent white cloth and its long open sleeves with the tips nearly touching the floor.

Barefoot, she glided toward the window, her robe skimming the floor. When she reached the window she put up a hand to shield her eyes as she looked up. Smiling still, she lowered her gaze, and cupped the cherry blossom with both hands.

Facing the branch near her window, she spoke "Come here." Her voice was light and beautiful. She took a breath and started singing a song or rather a tune, for no words were spoken and yet it spoke of the beauty of nature. As she sang, the branch began to grow, twisting its way towards her. As she continued to sing, her eyes had lightened to the palest shade of purple.

She ended the song making the branch stop growing being an arm's length away from the balcony's rail. Her eyes had gone back to their normal shade of amethyst, which was a rare color to see in one's eyes anywhere. Only her family had this eye color and yet it only appears in one family member every other generation. On one special family member, the one's who would succeed the priest or priestess and would have the right to the possession of powers controlled by the magic of the moon.

She breathed onto the blossom and it glowed. She reached out her arms to safely return it back onto the branch. However, before it touched the branch she heard footsteps immensely muffled by the grass covering her family's vast open land.

Her hearing was one of her best and worst attributes. Upon concentration she would even have heard the lightest sound possible. Unfortunately, she sometimes heard things she would never have wanted to listen to.

Her eyes darted below, as she stood still. She patiently waited, not moving an inch at all, for the person to come to view.

Out from under the cover of cherry blossoms came a young man with hair so dark it was blue. His cloak brushing against the grass.

The woman who was still transfixed with alertness glared at him as if he were someone to be suspicious of — then he looked up.

He had been walking around the Amamiya manor, which looked almost normal considering that traditional Japanese gardens and temples surrounded the building.

On his way to the manor, he had seen outside the carriage window a tall cherry blossom tree, its flowers swaying in the wind.

After the formal introductions were made he was showed his room. As soon as the servant left he immediately sneaked out his window knowing full well the consequence of his actions if his guardian, Wei, saw him but he had quickly thought of a plan along the way in the carriage.

He walked with a leisurely pace towards his destination. As he drew close, he heard singing. '_A song without words, how appropriate,' _he thought looking at his surroundings. Listening to the song, he felt a deep purple aura emitting from it, _'How unique,' _he thought knowing full well that only the Amamiya family had purple auras and even then it was only to the successors and the priests or priestesses.

The aura was enchanting just like the song and moments after it had ended had suddenly vanished. But he knew its owner had only hid it, just as he was doing now to avoid Wei (wherever he was).

As he turned the corner and saw the tree, he knew he was being watched from above. Smiling, he came to view of the window and lifted his head to the person. He saw her retreat and the surprise on her face.

He stepped forward and accidentally stepped on an exposed root of the tree, a slight snap was heard. With the sudden expression of anger on the woman's face, he knew he did something wrong. _'Oops.'_

Her aura flared. _'Ah! My sakura tree!'_ her mind screamed.

And before anything drastic happened, the double doors to her room flew open. "Yukimiko!" her best friend since childhood and close cousin, Nakagawa Ayame, shouted.

She was dressed in her usual attire and hair do, which was her dark ninja uniform and a really high ponytail of extremely long straight-as-a-pin black hair. Though she was female she was, admittedly, one of the best among their clan, the Shototsu (clash [collision]). She was also known as the Kiba, the fang for her expertise on anything with a blade and her power of making ice "fangs" (blades) from any water available to her. Yukimiko had felt her silver aura nearing but had ignored it.

When Ayame had come in shouting, Yukimiko had turned around quickly and lost her hold on the cherry blossom. She immediately looked back and tried to reach for it but it was too far. When she was about to use her magic Ayame took hold of her arm pulling her away saying, "We have no time for that Yuki," she called her by her nickname that she used only in private and only by the people closest to Yukimiko. "Uncle wants you dressed up and ready when you come down." She explained as she kept on pulling Yukimiko away from the window.

"Why should I?" Yuki whined, pouting, still trying to reach the flower.

"It looks like we've got ourselves a guest."

At the mention of _guest_ Yukimiko immediately forgot the blossom (and the young man) and was the one who was pulling instead of Ayame.

"We have a guest and your dressed like that? Come on Aya, show some fashion sense for once. When we have a guest you don't want to be seen in those muddy garments," she told her friend while trying to push Ayame near her closet.

"Uncle said YOU dress up! Not me!" Ayame complained.

"Stop whining, will you?!" Yuki retaliated.

Down below the young man still stood but this time with an expression of immense relief. _'That was close. Well, it seems I've been forgotten.'_

He looked up and saw the lone blossom floating to him. Smiling he reached out a hand and let it fall on his open palm. _'Sakura.'_

With the blossom still in hand, he immediately dashed away at an impossible speed and was back in his room in no time.

He closed the window's white silk curtains, which were framed in gold. He didn't want anyone looking and accidentally see something they shouldn't.

Sitting down on his bed, he placed the blossom beside him and removed his glasses to clean them up.

Putting them back on, he gazed around the room to get a good look at it since he had left quickly not bothering to look around.

The room was high and wide giving a feeling of having space. Its elaborate furniture was handsomely carved along with the four poster bed he was sitting on. The walls and bedding were the colors of crimson and gold.

He turned to his side and faced another him who was standing a short distance away from the bed. "Thank you. You may go back now." Having said that the other him nodded his head and in a twirl of light blue air, became a girl who stepped back into a giant sized mirror that too became a twirl of mist that this time turned into a card at the young man's hand.

Smiling, he stood, after picking up the blossom. Curious, he gazed at the thin stem that had grown at such a short span of time. _'It must be her magic.' _

Stepping out of the room, he closed the door and walking away, Clow Reed hid three cards that had the girl holding a mirror, a sleek looking animal with a blue diamond on its head, and a lock. Each named The Mirror, The Dash and The Lock.

— **E**nd of **P**rologue —


	2. Chapter One

**C**hapter **1**: **C**hildhood **F**riends

_Promise is a word that binds a person to an expectation..._

She was standing on the highest branch of the tree looking around making sure no one would see her. The sky was of clearest blue with no cloud to cover it up. Time was passing by slowly. Sounds of summer were surrounding her.

She wore only a simple white shirt and khaki shorts. Her well worn boots resting on the tree's lush green leaves while the sun reflected off her wire-rimmed sunglasses.

Looking through it, her eyes were taking in every detail of the scenery before her. She was definitely going to miss England.

The golden rays charming the prodigious meadow that wrapped around her family's English land and making the surface of the bay beyond sparkle like clear blue glass.

She enjoyed doing this, just being a 10-year-old had become scarce in her life, she thought now. _Ever since dad died. No! Don't think about it_, she ordered herself but couldn't help the wave of grief wash over her.

She hung her head and nimbly jumped down the "steps" of branches leading down to the ground. Thinking of her father had ruined her mood and she now sulkily just sat on the tree's old trunk and closed her eyes willing her herself to forget.

She didn't.

"_Otosan! 'kasan!" she shouted, running and waving at the same time to a tall and lanky man with midnight hair and striking amethyst eyes and a woman with short amber hair and warm brown eyes._

"_Hai! Matte!" the man shouted back and started running to the stage towards their daughter._

"_We won otosan. We won," she announced over her groupmates' shouts of mirth._

"_I know. So, how does feel to win?" he asked as he kneeled down to his daughter's height. _

_She beamed at them, pride gleaming in her eyes. "It feels great."_

_The man stood ruffling her hair getting a "Mou!" out of her before making her giggle._

"_You were great out there honey." The woman spoke and gave her daughter a caring hug. "Wasn't she just fantastic, Ran?" she asked her husband._

"_Daidouji-san!" a boy clad in the choir's uniform shouted. "We're going to have a celebration! C'mon!"_

_Tomoyo looked at her parents pleading with her eyes and pouting mouth if she could go. Ran nodded and put Tomoyo down. She ran to her friend but stopped halfway through. Looking back at her parents then to her friends._

"_You guys go on ahead. Bye!" saying that she waved and ran to her parents. "I'm going with you guys."_

"_You're sure?"_

"_Hai."_

"_Oh-kay. We'll have a celebration at home. Want some pizza?"_

"_Hai!" Tomoyo nodded energetically._

_Ran smiled and carried his daughter, clasping hands with his wife._

_Entering the car, they pulled out of the parking lot and after a few blocks ran straight into a truck._

She was 7 and happily enjoying the feeling of winning at the inter-school choir competition. Singing was what she did best and for the chance of seeing great pride in father's eyes.

She wouldn't see those anymore.

Tomoyo woke and realized quickly the tears that had flowed out. She wiped them off quickly with the back of her hand. She remembered waking up at the hospital the next day with pain filling her face. She had asked for her parents only to be looked at with sympathy as the doctor whispered that her father was dead and her mother was badly hurt and hadn't woken up yet. She cried the whole day, silent tears of anguish. All the nurses had looked away at seeing her trying to stop them, willing it to stop.

Muffled steps were heard. Tomoyo looked up and saw Eriol's head peek out from behind the tree's trunk.

"You okay?" he sat down with her and offered his handkerchief.

"Domo arigatou Eli." She accepted the handkerchief and rested her head on his shoulder. She wiped the tears away, Eli wrapping an arm over her shoulder.

She smiled remembering again how she had come to have such a caring tomodachi.

_It was morning. She was crying silently, the tears falling down. She wasn't sobbing or shaking or mad. She was just there, sitting down with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them as she stared into space letting the tears just flow. The leaves and the trees of the park were shading her, hiding her. She wanted to tell someone of her problems, her fears, and her grief. But no one was there. She looked down closing her eyes, she felt numb and helpless._

"_Hi." A voice murmured beside her._

_Surprised, Tomoyo looked at the source of the voice. The cerulean haired boy with cobalt eyes was smiling at her from his spot, which was at a branch of the tree she was leaning on._

"_H-hi."_

_The boy jumped down limply and handed her his handkerchief. Tomoyo accepted it hesitantly and cautiously wiped her tears._

"_My name's Hiiragizawa Eriol."_

"_I-I know." She recognized him as the boy who always sat beside her in every class she had. He was the school's prodigy piano player of their school's choir. He was very, very good at playing the piano._

"_Hmm. I see," he said thoughtfully looking at her._

_His manner of talking had surprised her for he seemed like an adult. Tomoyo hung her head, dabbing at her runny nose. After a while, she wondered what to do with the handkerchief. She was handing it out to him but he shook his head. "Keep it," he said giving her a small smile. She clutched the kerchief to her chest as if to draw life. Tomoyo looked away as she felt more tears coming. She bit her lip, willing it to stop. She didn't want to cry in front of people, she had never liked their looks of pity._

"_It's alright to cry," Eriol spoke softly. She looked at him, surprised by the understanding in his voice. His eyes were gently looking at her with soft sympathy. Her restraints broke and she threw herself at him crying her heart out. Wrenching sobs tore from her. Eriol held her silently as Tomoyo let out all her tears soaking his shirtfront._

_After a while, Tomoyo grew tired and wearily leaned on the Eriol whispering a shy "Thank you." She sniffed. The last she heard as she drifted off to sleep was a murmured "Your welcome"._

The ten-year-old Tomoyo remembered waking up in his arms and shyly apologizing for wetting his shirt. He had merely smiled at her and offered a walk home. And since then they had become fast friends.

She smiled at him as she snuggled closer. "Eli, let's make a promise."

"Hmm?"

Tomoyo sat straight and looked at him raising her pinky. "Friends forever?"

Eriol smiled and linked his pinky with hers. "Yeah, friends forever."

Tomoyo grinned as she leaned on him and snuggled closer. "Eli?"

Eriol placed his chin on her hair and whispered, "What is it?"

Tomoyo hesitated. She didn't want to say it, it was too sad. Instead she shook her head. "Nandemonai."

"You've been acting weird lately. But then again, you've always been weird," he said soberly.

Tomoyo looked at him indignantly. "What an awful thing to say!" she spoke and was surprised to see him smiling at her with laughter in his eyes. She drew breath and haughtily looked away. "Some kind of friend you are! Humph!"

Eriol laughed. "I'm sorry, I was just kidding."

She smiled but didn't look back.

Eriol's laughter died down as he worried that she really took it seriously. "Hey," he whispered. "I was just kidding."

Tomoyo turned around. "I know," she whispered before showering him with the leaves her hand had sneakily collected.

"Hey!" Indignant, Eriol made a grab for her but she had already stood and began to run away laughing while he shook out the leaves and dirt on his head.

Running as fast as she could, Tomoyo's thoughts were on how she was going to miss Eriol, and England.

_And I haven't even told him yet._

Yukimiko was just wandering around the manor's garden, contemplating the young man who was to stay at their house while on his visit. She was deep in thought when she felt something fall on her nose.

_A petal?_

Raising her head, her eyes grew wide at the spectacle. Petals were falling down like a light snow. Giggling in delight, she twirled around, her long sweeping skirts spinning with her. But her spinning fell short when she noticed she was no longer alone.

Clow smiled a little as he saw her suddenly stop at the sight of him. Saw her hesitating to move as her eyes looked for a place to run. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he explained in a smooth tone. "Do you like the flowers?" he asked her.

Tilting her head, she pushed back the hair that had fallen behind her ear. "These flowers?" she asked as she looked down at the petals that had gathered in her hands. Looking closely, she realized they were cherry blossoms. She sighed in wonder, a delighted look on her face. "Sakura," she murmured.

"They're for you." Clow spoke.

"For me? But why?"

"It's my apology for yesterday," Clow said as he made a slight bow.

"Oh, its okay. You don't need to."

"Ah, but it would seem improper if I don't. You showed obvious care to the sakura tree after what I did. And I sincerely apologize."

"Well, thank you then." she bowed in return as it was in her Japanese heritage to do so.

He smiled and spoke suddenly, "Come out flower."

Yukimiko was confused as to who he was taking to when suddenly, the air began to spin before Clow. She covered her eyes as the wind blew some of the petals into her face. When she removed her hands she saw a woman all in pink, from her hair to her skin and to her cute clothing.

The pink lady bowed down in greeting, Yukimiko curtsied back.

"Her name is Flower." Clow suddenly spoke. "She is one of my creations. I got the idea from yesterday wherein I did my crime," he said jokingly.

"Your creation?"

"Yes, you see, her true form is not what you see now but this," Clow held out his hand and spoke gently," Return to your true form, Flower Card." Flower began dissolving into whisps of air, all of which collected into the hand of Clow, forming a -

"Card!" Yukimiko gasped. "That's amazing." She stepped closer to Clow as he handed her the card. It read The Flower.

"I'm glad you like it."

"It would take a lot of magic to be able to create such a wonderful thing," she spoke excitedly as she turned to him, all smiles. "You must be more powerful than they say you are."

Now Clow was embarrassed. "Not really," he denied sheepishly as his face was tinted in pink.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to have embarrassed you," she spoke, her face too was pink as she smiled awkwardly.

"No, that's alright." Clow reached into his cloak and pulled out three more identical looking cards. "You want to see?" he inquired.

"More cards?" she asked.

"Yes." Clow said. "Though I might need my staff to call upon them," he told her. She nodded knowingly as she patiently watched.

"Key of

"Mirror Card," he called.

Wisps of air had appeared again but this time it held no person but a giant mirror. Yukimiko, her curiosity raised, went to stand before it and was surprised as the girl in it suddenly took her form and stepped out of the mirror.

Yukimiko was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, how wonderful," she said, pleasure heard in her melodic voice.

"She is usually a gentle one but sometimes, when I let my guard own, she becomes so mischievous," Clow said. "And she usually tricks Wei into believing she is me."

Suddenly Clow's expression became alert just as Yukimiko became aware. Mirror immediately went back into card form in seconds. Clow hid her behind her back.

"What is going on here?" an angry voice came.

"Oh, nice to see you too Aya," Yukimiko greeted, a drop of sarcasm in her tone.

"Whatever. What are you doing with him?" Ayame asked nodding her head in Clow's direction.

"Oh, Reed-san was –"

"Clow," he said, allowing her to call him by his name.

"Clow-san was just showing me something."

Ayame's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the scene before her. Yuki was covered in petals as was the ground around them both while Clow was merely smiling at her knowingly, like he somehow knew a secret about her.

Pointedly ignoring the young man, she turned her face to Yuki. "Uncle wishes to speak to you on something. He told me he would be waiting at the yellow salon."

Yukimiko nodded. She turned to Clow and bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry but it seems I am needed."

"That's alright, Amamiya-san," he nodded in understanding.

"Please call me Yuki."

Ayame glanced at her cousin in surprise. _He had won her trust in a day?!_

"Come Aya, we mustn't keep father waiting. See you soon, Clow-san,'' she smiled at him she turned to leave, clasping Aya's hands as they left.

Ayame looked back over her shoulder and saw him still standing there, smiling. Ayame had a nagging feeling concerning him.


End file.
